Close Call
by Angie Child
Summary: Sequel to 'Horror Story in School'. Aoko is beginning to suspect more the real identity of Kid. Can Kaito continue to hide it from her? [PART 2 UP]
1. Part 1

**Author's Note:** Sequel to 'Horror Story in School'! Arigatoo Mariata for playing Aoko in the RPG:) You are truly excellent! Oh yeah, and Hakuba too. (And for those who like Detective Conan RPG, please join us in 'Only One Truth: A Detective Conan RPG'! Link in my bio!)

**Disclaimer:** All characters are copyrighted to Aoyama Gosho. Some things in the fanfic might have been altered from the original RPG, but the plot is still the same!

**PART 1**

" '_When the hands of the clock are together on a number, I will take the Golden Hand, Kaitou Kid_'," Kaito murmured as he wrote, a gleeful grin on his face. He was in class at that moment during recess, hunching over his desk. He was preparing a message to be sent to the police for another heist.

"I'm so clever in this," he laughed, admiring the note.

"What'cha doing?" Aoko placed down her schoolbag on her desk, which was right beside his.

Kaito jumped. A gust of wind blew his note away and towards Aoko. "Aik!" he exclaimed, trying to snatch it back.

Aoko leaned down to pick up the note. It was written in relatively neat writing (much, _much_ neater then her childhood friend's), but was unsigned. She blinked, turning around, handing it back to Kaito. "What's that for?"

"N-nothing! It's just a joke," Kaito muttered, snatching it back. He quickly stashed it into his pocket.

Joke? Aoko deadpanned. For Kaito, the Trouble Maker, Jokes were usually an occupation. She frowned. "You sure about that, Kaito?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Kaito retorted.

He picked up his newspaper, which had a large headline on the front page: _Senator from India Brings Golden Hand to Tokyo_. It said that there was a party that night with a display of the valuable Golden Hand. "Pretty," he murmured admiringly at the picture.

Aoko leaned over to read/look over his shoulder. Then she remembered something. "Oh! My Otou-san got some invites to that party in the mail!...But." Aoko stood back up, frowning again. "The letter wasn't signed." She bit her lip.

Kaito blinked at Aoko. "He is invited to this major party?" he exclaimed with disbelief. "I mean, he's not really the kind whom anyone will invite," he muttered. _Oh well, at least he will be around when I steal the Hand._ "When did the invites come?"

"Yesterday." Aoko replied, sitting down. "Pfft, maybe the Kaitou Kid sent them. Though he usually leaves a note whenever he does something like that..." She trailed off, taking out her books.

"But I haven't-" Kaito shut his mouth quickly. He almost said 'I haven't even sent him my note'. He just laughed awkwardly. "Kid, sending invitations? Unlikely, don't you think? Isn't he the kind who likes to stump the police with confusion notes?"

Aoko pretended not to hear the cut off sentence.

Her head slowly turned around, a deadpan in her eyes. "How would _you_ know _that_?"

Kaito raised his eyebrows. "Doesn't everybody know that?" _I guess that was a wrong move...must get out of it fast..._

She shrugged slightly. "I guess." Then fell silent, doing her homework. Which was rare, considering that she usually finished it the day before...but she couldn't sleep last night.

Kaito scratched his head, looking at Aoko. _What's up with her?_ He leaned over. "I'm guessing you're thinking about the anonymous invitations?" he asked. "Wait a second...how many invites were they? Can I go? I can help you find out who sent them," he added, though he was only thinking of blending in so he could do his job easily.

Aoko paused slightly, before answering. "Three. Three invites." Then she shrugged slightly, nonchalantly. "And sure. Why not?" She breathed, looking rather tired. Aoko didn't bother to glance at Kaito, putting her books away.

Kaito frowned. He shrugged. "Okay...thanks."

-

Kaito was in the boys' bathroom after school, finishing up his note. If he were to send it quickly without Aoko knowing, the bathroom seemed like a good idea to be alone at that moment. He looked at the creased paper with a sweat drop. "I knew I should have used a hard cover..."

He walked over to the window and whistled. A dove flew in. "Take this to Nakamori-keibu immediately, okay?" he said, starting to tie a piece of string on a note and then the other end on the dove's leg.

Aoko muttered. "What's taking him so long?" She checked her watch briefly before leaning back against the wall beside the boys' bathroom in...well. Frustration.

He didn't usually go to the bathroom at this time, unless it was an emergency (she chuckled at that, remembering the _last_ time)... She frowned. Sure, Kaito was a good actor...but this time, he seemed oddly...calm. She shook her head. Maybe he was pretending that he didn't _need_ to go? Would make sense, seeing as Aoko was the one that suggested it.

Now she somewhat regretted agreeing to stay with him, her mind riveting back to the first question. "Dammit…Kaiitttoo! Are you finished yet! I have lots of homework to do!"

Kaito winced when he heard Aoko shouting outside. His dove suddenly flapped its wings noisily. "Ahh...shh, shh!" he frantically hushed it before letting it go. It flew out of the window. _Gah, that was close...hopefully she didn't hear them._

He grabbed his bag and emerged out of the bathroom. "It's not like _you're_ the only one with the homework," he pointed out, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "But I can do them with a snap of my fingers-like me to do yours for you?" he added with a snicker.

"No thanks." She replied, her head turning away (starting to walk). "I can do it myself, you know."

"Okay, okay..."

When they had come out of the school, Nakamori-keibu was storming about outside the gates, looking furious. "Nakamori-keibu?" Kaito said in disbelief. There was a note in Aoko's father's hand.

Aoko dashed forward, slowing down before she reached her father. "Otou-san? What happened?"

Nakamori-keibu waved the note in front of them. "KID! He sent a stupid note again!" he shouted furiously, startling everyone who was on the street. "He's going to steal the golden hand at the party tonight! I won't let him! 'When the hands of the clock are together on a number'-he thinks I'm stupid for not knowing the answer to that!" He tossed the note onto the floor.

_Oy, if I were you, I wouldn't jump to conclusion,_ Kaito thought, snickering silently. _Poor keibu._

"Eh? He is?" Aoko blinked, leaning over to pick up the note. After she read it, she remembered something… "O-otou-san! Do you remember that letter we got in the mail? With the invitations?"

Her father grunted in reply...then paused. "You mean..."

Aoko nodded. "Maybe.."

"That's right! It HAD to be him!" Nakamori-keibu roared, a fist smacking his open hand. "He didn't even leave a note in that thing!"

_But I didn't send the invites!_ Kaito wanted to say, but kept his mouth shut. _Unless somebody knows that there's going to be a Kid heist that night and decides to play a little joke...NAH._ He shook his head.

"Maybe he's a funny guy and likes to joke," he remarked. He leaned over gleefully to read his own note. Suddenly, he remembered that Aoko had seen the note earlier that day. _Aik!_ "C-can I have it, Aoko?" he asked nervously, but already starting to reach out for it, hoping silently that she had not noticed.

She turned away, keeping the note out of his reach. "Nuh-uh, Kaito. It's my Otou-san's. Kid _did_ send it to him, remember?" However, Aoko kept it in her hand, instead of handing it back to her father.

Silently, she bit her lip.

Kaito pouted. _Maybe she didn't notice it..._ "Can I go anyway, Nakamori-keibu? You have an extra invite, don't you? Is it a formal party or informal party?"

_How would the kid know that? Maybe Aoko told him?_ the Inspector thought, the briefest of suspicions fading. He accepted. "You can go. The party's formal, so dress up well and don't embarrass my daughter." He said, gruffly, before opening the car door.

Aoko went in, sliding over a seat at the back for her companion.

"FORMAL!" Kaito exclaimed as he jumped in as well very quickly. _Darn, it will take a long time to change clothes!_ "C-can't I wear something more casual? I mean-I don't like formal clothes," he muttered.

Inspector Nakamori grunted. "We don't have much time. Just get in, if you're going to come."

"No thanks, I'll walk." _And try to think up of a new plan for the heist._

Aoko deadpanned. "What's wrong with formal clothes?"

"Formal clothes just aren't-I mean, they're too, um, formal," Kaito muttered, though the truth was at the back of his head. "I'll see you tonight anyway." He ran towards the direction of his house.

"Err-alright then." She leaned back over to pull the door shut.

The engine growled slightly as they began moving again, past Kaito, and towards the Nakamori residence.


	2. Part 2

**PART 2**

Aoko checked her watch. Glanced up at the dazzling decorations. Then checked again. Perhaps such movements were comical went done repeatedly, but at this point in time, she could care less. If -someone- wasn't here soon, it would be a wasted invitation. Not that that mattered much to her-she could always call up her friend Keiko-who had _really_ wanted to come. But as the saying went"first come, first serve".

She leaned back against the wall, staring at the glittering chandeliers. Her hand moved towards her purse (and had attempted earlier to check her pockets- which the dress she was currently wearing lacked), unbuckling it. There the note was, the walls of the purse making it barely readable. Aoko bit her tongue again. Then slapped the purse shut, letting it fall back by her side.

-

"Stupid shirt" Kaito muttered as he ran along the sidewalk, trying to put on his white shirt. He had decided to wear the white shirt and pants which he usually wore when he was being Kid, just to save time. But that was where the similarity ended. Of course, he did not want anybody to notice that he and Kid look alike.

He walked into the room, pausing momentarily to scan his surrounding. "Pretty" he murmured"but where's the loot? Or shall I say" He grinned as he saw a couple of police officers heading towards a door. _That way._

He started to sneak after them, not noticing that Aoko was only two feet away in the crowd.

Her hand reached out to grab his arm-but she missed, her fingers snagging firmly against his sleeve. "Kaito! Finally! What took you so long"

_Ehhhh?_ Kaito halted and turned. "Oh, hi, Aoko" he said meekly with a nervous grin. "I, er, got lost. You look-nice." But he had only merely glanced at her dress.

He turned back to the door. The officers had already disappeared through it. "Eh, where's Nakamori-keibu" he asked.

She blushed slightly from his comment, but was brought back to reality by his question.

"My Otou-san's upstairs on the east balcony. Are you looking for him"

"Er, yes, I mean-no. I mean-is he guarding the so-called golden hand or something" he asked quickly, wondering now where the east balcony was. He scanned around the room continuously.

Aoko looked _just_ the teeniest bit apprehensive. "The East Balcony is East, you dope. And yeah, there are people guarding it, but my Otou-san's not really 'with' them. He was muttering about a change of tactics or something…"

"Reallyyyy" Kaito said in amusement. He looked at his watch, and then at the large clock on one wall. _Guess I should get the plan to work now._

"Err, I'm going to the bathroom for a while, Aoko" he said, moving away. "I'll be right back."

"Again! Wait" Without waiting for Aoko, he ran off towards the door where he thought the officers had disappeared through. Then she sighed, straightening back up, looking the slightest bit annoyed.

Aoko glanced around, then followed him to the bathroom. Or so she thought…

-

_Nakamori-keibuuuu, where are youuuu?_ Kaito thought with a grin as he sneaked down the hallway, looking around. He passed the bathroom, but did not bother to go in, of course.

Just as he was reaching the end of the hallway ("Whew, this place is big."), he heard a voice. He stuck himself close to the wall, listening.

"I want heavy guards on both items no matter what! Do not let your guard down! We're going to catch Kid tonight, you hear"

_Two items? Aha, he prepared a fake! Like he can outsmart Kaitou Kid-sama!_ Kaito snickered as he started to run back towards the party, his footsteps making no sound. He looked at his watch. _Only about a couple of hours to go-_

Aoko had a heck of a time deciding whether or not her friend had tricked her. True, he had told her that he was going to the washroom, and true, she had followed him there. _Not_ exactly following him-she actually just went to find him.

But he wasn't there. Or at least, he wasn't out of the bathroom. It seemed almost like a repeat of what happened after school. "All the time" she muttered.

She crossed her arms, leaning back against the wall, waiting. Again. Situations like these bored her, though she couldn't do much about it. Not many people knew her around here, and she preferred to stick by her only companion because of that.

Aoko really, _really_ wanted to go in and check if he was there. He was taking too long. (And she _would_ have, if she were allowed. Going into the men's washroom, even if she was Inspector Nakamori's daughter, was a big nono. Obviously.).

When she spotted Kaito passing by. "K-kaito! Weren't you in the Washroom"

Kaito froze when he heard his childhood friend's voice. He started to sweat a little. He managed to turn towards Aoko and laugh awkwardly.

"Er, hi, Aoko! I, um, realized that I already went in, see" he said nervously. "Let's get back to the party" he added hastily, grabbing her hand and leading her back.

"Ah-wai-Kaitoo" Her features flushed slightly from the touch. Before she could protest, they were already back into the main hall-in the crowd.

Kaito let go of her, heaving a relieved sigh. He turned to Aoko. "Want a drink? I'll get some for you."

She stared at him for a moment. Then glared. "Strawberry flavour, please."

_And hopefully she doesn't question anymore,_ he added mentally as he headed towards the buffet table.

Aoko watched as he went away.

-

"Strawberry, strawberry..." Kaito muttered as he looked for it among the variety of juices. He finally found it and got two paper cups full. He walked back to Aoko and handed her one. As he sipped his, he glanced at the large clock on the wall. _Geez, how long do I have to wait before I could begin?_

"Thanks." She muttered, sipping the juice. It tasted a bit...milky, which was alright. Milky was good.

Just then, the musical band started to play a rather slow piece while the announcer asked the guests to dance. Kaito choked a little on his drink. _A dance?_ He glanced at Aoko for only a second.

Aoko blushed, the lip of the cup still in her mouth. Faintly, her mind panicked. _I…I can't dance._

_Why not? It's only one dance...there's still plenty of time before the heist. But if I ask her, she's bound to laugh at me!_ Kaito narrowed his eyes at Aoko, blushing a little. _Oh, what the heck...she laughs, I don't care._

He looked around to make sure Nakamori-keibu wasn't around (just in case). Then, coughing, he said in almost a whisper"Err, Aoko...want to-want to dance"

_That's it, she's going to laugh!_

Instead, her blush deepened. "Wh-what? Dance" She slowly leant back, slightly taken aback from the...abruptness. "W-why"

Kaito blinked for a moment. Then he caught himself. "Well, er-it's no use just standing around doing nothing. I-I need something to pass the time. So, are you dancing or not" he retorted.

She glared at him. "Whatever" Aoko suddenly stood up-she could hear her voice shake. She stepped forward, swallowing, hand hesitantly reaching out for his..._M-maybe...just once...I-I... _and grasped his wrist instead, attempting to pull him up.

"L-let's go then" Aoko muttered, not sure of where to go.

_Okay...First, the dance floor._ Kaito led her to the dance floor where everyone was. Then he looked at Aoko. "So, you know how it goes? Just-er, look at everyone else."

_Why in the world did I say that!_ he thought as he glanced nervously at the couples around them dancing gracefully to the slow piece. "So, er, you do know how to dance to slow music, right"

Aoko just froze. Her mind tried to recall what they had learnt in class, all those months ago-...but her brain refused to budge. She anxiously glanced around, hoping that maybe watching the others would remind her of something...

...but came up blank. "S-sorta. Do _you_ know how, Kaito" She asked, hoping that maybe he -did-...but knowing him? Not _too_ likely...

_Let's see...I've danced with two actresses, a princess, a couple of singers, even Nakamori-keibu...what else?_

"Of-Of course I know." Kaito's voice cracked a little. He coughed, and then looked up again. "All right now...hold one hand..." He took her right hand in his. "...and you place the other on my shoulder, I..." Somehow, his hand couldn't find his way to Aoko's waist. _Darn...why am I so nervous? It's not like I had never touched her!_

Her hand did that he told her out of its own accord. Aoko tried hard to fight down the blush on her cheeks. She could almost hear Keiko hovering over them, along with her classmates, teasing her. Aoko sweatdropped, not noticing that Kaito was having a similar problem.

Kaito took one glance at the door (in case Nakamori-keibu had come in) before gingerly placing his hand on her waist. "Okay...now take a step backward, and then forward again, and"

He blinked. All of a sudden, he was wondering what he was doing. He took a deep breath. _Calm down...you can't forget your dance steps now! She'll laugh at you..._ "Umm, you got it"

"Y-yeah." Aoko replied, looking nervous herself. She had followed Kaito's lead pretty well. She breathed the same time he did, trying to steady her own nerves. "I think so."

"Okay...and, um, I guess we just, well, keeping doing it slowly until the music stops." _Keep doing it, eh? Oh well, it's better than NOT doing anything in the middle of the dance floor humiliating myself._

She continued to blush, eyes fixed on Kaito's shoulders. "Uhhh-okay.." Aoko tried her best to do that, trying to ignore the feeling of being watched (which her mind was probably making up).

Meanwhile...

Inspector Nakamori chewed on his pipe. His eyes ran over the surveillance cameras his small crew was working on. They hadn't found anyone suspicious-not yet.

"Where's the Kid" he muttered. "Should be here by now..." His crew traded glances, making no attempt to comment. This wasn't new by now, the Kid had always found his way in without rising too much suspicion.

The Inspector left the room, to check that things were going well elsewhere. They went back to eyeing the real-time footage, switching the views from time to time…


End file.
